Writing to Change the World Review

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(More customer reviews)Deep down, all writers aspire to be what Mary Pipher calls "Change Writers". Mary Pipher gets to the heart, the root of why we write. Whether we are 'liberal' or 'conservative', republican or democrat, athiest or 'fundamentalist', we write because we understand that we can influence people with our words.
This is not a book on "How to Write". This is not even a book of inspiration for curing "Writer's Block". This is a book that brings to light the things which the heart of every writer knows, yet often forgets.
Pipher separates her book into three sections, "What We Alone Can Say", "The Writing Process" and "Calls to Action". I found "What We Alone Can Say" and "Calls to Action" to be the most insightful and original. I was actually debating whether I liked the book while reading the center section. But, Pipher pulled through. The irony is that she includes a Mickey Spillane quote that says, "Nobody reads a book to get to the middle." I wonder if Pipher struggled with the center section herself.
If you want a book on how to write, or a book for inspiration, pick up Write Down the Bones. Pipher also recommends this book in a thorough list of Recommended Readings. If you are a writer, a performer, a blogger or a poet who is trying to figure out how to make a difference, pick up Pipher's book.
I have found that many of my most treasured books begin with a James Baldwin quote. Pipher chooses, "You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world... The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way... people look at reality, then you can chage it." Pipher offers a guide to changing the world one "Baldwin Millimeter" at a time.
(Side note: Pipher references a song by Billie Holiday "Strange Fruit" While this was the perfect example, the song was not actually written by her, but by a poet who does not receive credit in this book.)

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